Biden administration, alongside environmental groups, has announced its intent to appeal the decision mandating an enlargement of the forthcoming Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale.
In a swift response to a Louisiana federal judge’s recent ruling, the Biden administration, alongside environmental groups, has announced its intent to appeal the decision mandating an enlargement of the forthcoming Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale.
U.S. District Judge James Cain’s directive, compelling the inclusion of additional acreage, prompted the U.S. Interior Department and entities like the Center for Biological Diversity to file an appeal with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in New Orleans.
Judge Cain has set a deadline of September 30 for the Interior Department to proceed with the Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale, a move welcomed by the oil and gas industry. The decision reverses the prior reduction, ordered by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which sought to safeguard an endangered whale species. The industry had contested this reduction, filing a lawsuit in August.
The American Petroleum Institute, the representative body for the oil and natural gas sector, hailed the court’s ruling for removing “unjustified restrictions on vessel traffic” imposed by the Interior Department. They assert this is a pivotal step towards providing greater certainty for American energy workers.
Conversely, environmental groups argued against the inclusion of the additional acres, emphasizing the necessity for robust safeguards for the endangered Rice’s whale. The U.S. government identifies energy exploration and development, oil spills, spill response, and vessel strikes as the primary threats to the species.
Steve Mashuda, an attorney from Earthjustice, defended the efforts to preserve the whale from extinction. He pointed out that even with the proposed restrictions, the government is still permitting the oil industry to bid on a substantial 67 million acres in the Gulf.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) refrained from commenting on the ruling. The administration’s earlier stipulations had initially excluded over 6 million acres from the auction, mandating that vessel operators maintain a vigilant watch for whales and adhere to speed restrictions within their habitat.
This development reflects the ongoing tension between energy interests and environmental conservation efforts, spotlighting the delicate balance the Biden administration seeks to strike in its energy policies.